Defeat Murphy, Sims, Moreno

February 20, 2006

In the Illinois primary of March 2002, fed-up voters pushed five supposedly secure incumbents off the 17-member Cook County Board. That was a superb achievement. Today there's quiet fear among many of the political cronies who feed off the county's fat budget that voters--disgusted by rising taxes and county corruption--will now finish the job of reform they started four years ago.

That's a crucial mission. It begins with nominating Forrest Claypool as the Democratic candidate for County Board president in this year's March 21 primary. Just as important, replacing three tax-and-spend incumbents on the board will assure that the current eight (usually) reliable votes for reform would grow to an impregnable majority. With a goal of unseating that timid and unproductive trio, these are the Tribune's choices in contested County Board races:

5th District (South Side, south suburbs): Democrat Deborah Sims acknowledges that she votes "99-something percent" with board President John Stroger. Sims' reliable support for tax hikes has become legendary during her 12 years in office. The Tribune endorses Dian M. Powell, a social services administrator backed by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Sims does what Stroger says, nothing more. Powell, who opposes more tax hikes, will be independent.

6th District (South suburbs): Democrat Joan Patricia Murphy wants the image of a cost-conscious friend of the taxpayer. Truth is, she's a solid vote for whatever her patron Stroger wants. Murphy is under pressure from suburban business interests to disavow the county's penchant for raising taxes. Instead, Murphy makes telling statements like, "I don't believe we're overstaffed at Stroger Hospital." Taxpayers in Cook County's south suburbs cannot afford Murphy's costly devotion to business--and taxation--as usual. The best choice here is Nicholas "Keith" Chambers, another Jesse Jackson Jr. protege and a state administrator with broad government experience. As a South Holland trustee, Chambers specializes in finance and public safety issues. A third candidate, bank examiner Robert L. Ryan Jr., also is in the race.

7th District (Southwest Side, Cicero, Stickney): Democrat Joseph Mario Moreno, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chicago ward bosses, famously declared during 2005 budget negotiations that "we've got to make cuts" in spending--right before he voted against the cuts. Voters this year have a much better choice than Moreno: Leonard "Len" Dominguez, a former Chicago deputy mayor for education who has served on a hospital board and who declares, "I see myself as a supporter of reform in every respect." Dominguez argues that government corruption cheats services for poor Latinos and African-Americans. A third candidate, Albert Martinez, also is on the ballot.

9th District (West and northwest suburbs): Republican Daniel Kollman makes no case for unseating incumbent Peter Silvestri, a strong voice for cutting the county payroll, reining its wasteful health bureaucracy and privatizing more county functions. The Tribune strongly endorses Silvestri. We make no choice in the Democratic contest between Bruce Best and Jodi Biancalana.

15th District (Northwest suburbs): For 32 years, Republican incumbent Carl Hansen has been an often-lonely voice for county taxpayers. He has served with distinction. But the challenges facing Cook County demand new approaches. Businessman Timothy Schneider has steeped himself in those issues. Example: After reading about the county's sordid juvenile detention center, Schneider made two unannounced inspections. Schneider, whom this page praised during his run for a County Board seat in 2002, will be a relentless advocate for reform. It's understandable that Hansen, having invested so much work in county government, relies on the word of bureaucrats that the juvenile center is in good hands. With deep gratitude for Hansen's past service, the Tribune today endorses Schneider.